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There is a lot of experience in that group. I would expect the JUCO DE and LB to both be in the mix to start. I would probably have Simpkins over Covey right now, but that could easily change by August.

Heard Mac talking about the read option and Huntley and Mac said you can adjust your blocking scheme to make the QB handoff to the RB but that Utah doesn't do that. I wish Taylor would do that. My sense is Huntley is selfish and looks to run first. He will need to run less to play more.

Anyway, I am bullish on the Utes in 2018. I don't like a Friday night game after an away game and thought that was something they were going to do away with this year. I wish the bye was a little later in the year. We get an extra week against WSU, Stanford after they play Notre Dame, an extra day for USC, ASU after USC and BYU the last game of the year.

I hope somebody. Way way way too many drops and fumbles with this group.

Really? I thought this group was significantly better than the prior years. Singleton is usually good for one drop per game and the TE's were terrible, but other than that, I thought this group was pretty solid. I think Boyd, Hampton, Thompson and Dixon all have a shot. Dana should probably transfer or hang it up.

What other receivers do we expect to emerge--out of Boyd, Dana (too late for him?), Hampton, Thompson, Dixon?

I have high hopes for Hampton...mostly because he decommitted from WSU to come to Utah. That seems meaningful for some reason. A lot of folks have speculated that Boyd would've seen time if he had been able to play. We also have the Perriman kid coming in from Florida. I know he signed early, but I'm not clear on whether or not he'll be on campus for spring ball.

I like the idea of Covey and Nacua being in the slot and running crossing routes all day long.

“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

I think Mika Tafua starts and gets more reps than Repp. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Ford and/or Umana crack the starting o-line.

Yeah, Repp as a projected starter at DE is a head-scratcher and red flag. Maybe the light finally turns on for him, but even with all the injury issues Utah had at DE he still hardly played and made almost no impact when he did. Based simply off of the reps (pun totally intended) that were given out this year you'd have to go with Heninger or Hart as the next DE opposite Anae. In reality it will probably either be Tafua or the JC kid that signed.

Do we know how big Tafua is after his mission? Utah usually likes one bigger DE who is stout against the run and one smaller/faster one who is more of a pass rusher. I think Anae is the pass rusher but maybe that will evolve.

Cole's a great kid and a heck of an athlete (he was the best player on a very good high school basketball team, too). He also would have been the starting QB if he hadn't gone to school with Sam Darnold and Jack Sears. I think he'll be a good player, but he'll definitely be a great ambassador for the program. He's someone who gets along with everyone and who everyone likes (he was the student body president at San Clemente High). Even if he doesn't wind up being a big difference maker on the field (and I think he will be), he's someone who will help the team and program by just being there.

Cole's a great kid and a heck of an athlete (he was the best player on a very good high school basketball team, too). He also would have been the starting QB if he hadn't gone to school with Sam Darnold and Jack Sears. I think he'll be a good player, but he'll definitely be a great ambassador for the program. He's someone who gets along with everyone and who everyone likes (he was the student body president at San Clemente High). Even if he doesn't wind up being a big difference maker on the field (and I think he will be), he's someone who will help the team and program by just being there.

No, but I wouldn't be surprised to see he was leaving, either (although I would be surprised to see him go to BYU). I haven't really talked to his Dad since the season started because that's right about when we moved to Utah, but when I spoke to his Dad before the season started he said that they would be watching to see how much Taylor used his TEs. He said they were going to count how often a TE was on the field, and that was more important to them than targets and receptions (although I'm sure more targets and receptions would have been nice). I know they love the U and the coaching staff, and I also know we did have TEs on the field fairly often, so I was hoping that would be enough for him to want to come. Based on the tweets, it looks like it will be enough.

No, but I wouldn't be surprised to see he was leaving, either (although I would be surprised to see him go to BYU). I haven't really talked to his Dad since the season started because that's right about when we moved to Utah, but when I spoke to his Dad before the season started he said that they would be watching to see how much Taylor used his TEs. He said they were going to count how often a TE was on the field, and that was more important to them than targets and receptions (although I'm sure more targets and receptions would have been nice). I know they love the U and the coaching staff, and I also know we did have TEs on the field fairly often, so I was hoping that would be enough for him to want to come. Based on the tweets, it looks like it will be enough.

You would think that if we had TE's who could catch, they would have been targeted more frequently. Tuesday was just embarrassing, but not abnormal.

I said before this last year that our schedule was too hard and our team too young and we’d be a 6 to 7 win team unless we were lucky and we’d maybe get to 8 wins.

The good news is, that all changes next year. We go from young and inexperienced to deep and experienced. Our OL will be one of the top returning OL’s. Our WR’s will be deeeeep. Moss, Shyne and DHC? Forget about it.

Our DL is deep as the Mississippi. DT is great. Fotu...

Our LB’s are more than solid with Barton, Thompson, Lloyd, Pirtle, etc.

I would guess DHC gets more carries than Shyne next year, unless Moss gets hurt.

I would not have thought this earlier this season, but a switch seemed to flip for Moss in the USC game, and he was a different runner from that point on. And Shyne can't stay healthy. Having a 1-2 punch with Moss and Shyne, with Moss getting most of the load is pretty exciting. If we can just get Huntley to hand them the ball more consistently.

Wow. No. Put down the Kool aid. Carrington is a very special athlete, and that combination of size, speed, agility, and fluid motion is extremely rare.

That said, Nacua runs very good routes and has incredible hands. He is a warrior and is one of the best receivers we have recruited in a decade, and will be one of the greats by the time he graduates.

No way. I'm all in with this kid. I've praised him since he came to Utah and Fehoko went to Stanford. I'm sure you can find somewhere on this site that I said Nacua was better than Fehoko. This kid has special talent.

I agree. You may not love the Samson as I do, but we can agree that the WR’s look great. And if Covey comes back? Yikes. We’d be great at WR.

It’s why I’m not worried about Taylor. He gets a year to install his system and upgrade the talent and he has done that in spades.

Our offense has more talent than we had in 2004. Can Taylor/Huntley put it all together? Maybe. Just maybe.

To me, next year all depends on huntley. Can he improve his accuracy on throws 10-20 yards. He seemed to have better accuracy before his injury, and they brought him back too soon. Most important, can he run the offense better, integrate other skill players esp. Moss better, and be less self reliant. I hope a years experince will show a lot of growth re game management.

To me, next year all depends on huntley. Can he improve his accuracy on throws 10-20 yards. He seemed to have better accuracy before his injury, and they brought him back too soon. Most important, can he run the offense better, integrate other skill players esp. Moss better, and be less self reliant. I hope a years experince will show a lot of growth re game management.

I hope Taylor sits down with Huntley and goes through all his run options and run/pass options plays and they digest how much better the Utes could be and how much more Huntley can be on the field if he doesn't try to do everything himself. ARod did that with Travis on interceptions after the last 5-7 season and Travis cut down the number of interceptions significantly and the Utes improved to 9-3.

I hope Taylor sits down with Huntley and goes through all his run options and run/pass options plays and they digest how much better the Utes could be and how much more Huntley can be on the field if he doesn't try to do everything himself. ARod did that with Travis on interceptions after the last 5-7 season and Travis cut down the number of interceptions significantly and the Utes improved to 9-3.

Kyle has said publicly, at least twice that I've heard, that They want Moss to have more carries and Huntley fewer. I imagine they will try to pound that into Huntley.

(Kyle also said he wants Tyler to put on 10-20 pounds so he can survive as a QB who loves to run.)

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”